Day 0 - 3: Geneva, to Chamonix, to Aosta Italy
Day 0 - 3: Geneva, to Chamonix, to Aosta Italy
The trip started out in a disappointing way. Day 0, the travel day, turned out to span over 2 days. Our flight out of Washington Dulles was cancelled and Lufthansa Airline lost a piece of our luggage. Fortunately, we had an extra day built into the schedule and the missing luggage finally caught up with us. The weather was not cooperating also, it rained for a few days, so our hikes to see Mont Blanc had to be cancelled. The weather system dumped 3 feet of snow on Mont Blanc during the early morning of Day 3, so instead of riding the gondola system over Mont Blanc into Italy, we had to take a tour bus through the Mont Blanc Tunnel. We were already talking about going back to Chamonix in the near future just to hike this area.
In the morning of Day 3, we crossed the Mont Blanc Tunnel and arrived at Aosta. This is an old Italian town filled with historical Roman architecture. The entrance to the old town area is fronted with a Roman Arch, the imposing Arco di Augusto (Arch of Augustus) built in 25 B.C. There was also the remains of a Roman amphitheater, and a fully functional historical cobbled stone bridge all built during the same era. The old town area has since converted into a tourist area featuring souvenir shops and eatery.
Hiking The Alps
Monday, August 6, 2007
Chamonix Town Center